


Stitches

by shingekinoereri



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Doctor Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Doctor/Patient, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 20:06:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9511010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shingekinoereri/pseuds/shingekinoereri
Summary: Levi Ackerman is a neruologist that moves back home after completing medical school, shocked to see his childhood friend, Eren Jaeger. He soon realizes his complicated feelings for his past friend after treating him only a few months after coming home, knowing that patient doctor relations are strictly prohibited in his work place. Will he finally give in and accept his feelings, or let Eren slip between his fingers?





	

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this idea in my head for a while, so I finally decided to write it  
> Comments are appreciated, and I apologize if I missed any mistakes!

I round the corner of the hospital, currently on my way to see one of my favorite patients. It’s strange to say that since I shouldn’t have a favorite patient, but then again I’ve been friends with him since I was in preschool. He’s very pretty for a man, having stunning ocean-blue eyes and a mop of messy chocolate-brown hair (I used to always give him a hard time for never combing it) that suits his god like constructed face.

     I had always known I would do something in the medical field, but neurology is something I never thought I would excell at. My past instructer at the other hospital had always told me I had such steady hands and belonged in the field, but before that I thought I would be a cardiothoracic surgeon or something of the sort. As soon as I began practicing neurology, I fell in love with it. I finished my residency soon after that and transferred to this hospital to be closer to my hometown, not having expected to run into Eren again (we had somewhat lost contact after I left for medical school) and be under such circumstances.

     The interns follow me into Eren’s room, his face lighting up when he sees me. “Hey, Levi. I mean, Doctor Ackerman. That sounds strange to call you that, I don’t like it.”

     I smile just a bit and shrug, clutching his chart to my chest. “Well, while we’re both here you’re going to have to call me that.” I look to the interns, all of them looking a bit nervous. “Alright, Jean, you can introduce what we found.”

     Jean clears his throat, almost looking down at the notepad in his hand to read off Eren’s chart, thinking better of it and going off of memory. “Patient’s name is Eren Jaeger, twenty-three years old. He came in three days ago complaining of a headache, fatigue, and nausea.” Eren interrupts him there.

     “I did not complain, you all asked me why I was here and I merely stated the problem.”

     “Hush, Eren.” I can feel his glare, but I ignore him, giving Jean a break and calling on Historia.

     She blushes just a bit, most likely from embarrassment or nervousness. “We found that Mr. Jaeger has a benign tumor in his frontal lobe. The good news is, it’s small enough to where Doctor Ackerman can remove it with little to no difficulty.”

     Eren is no longer smiling, looking down at the sheets and gripping them tightly. He looks up after a few silent minutes, shrugging. “If he can remove it easily, I don’t have anything to worry about. When is the soonest time I can get it out?”

     I’m not surprised that he’s acting this way, so I just shrug. “I suppose tomorrow or the day after that. I'll have to check.” The interns each take turns reading off the risks, and I fill out his chart a bit more, double checking that there isn’t anything that could make this a bigger risk. Luckily, there isn’t, and we’re all out of his room in a few more minutes.

     The interns all swarm me, all of them wanting to be able to scrub in on this even though it won’t be all that exciting other than the fact it will be their first surgery. I don’t answer any of them, managing to duck away after a few long minutes of listening to them bicker about who is more qualified. I circle back to Eren’s room afterword, Eren smiling when he sees me. “I knew you couldn’t get enough of me.”

     I roll my eyes, sitting in the chair by the door. “I haven't seen you in almost eight years, I was thinking now would be a good a time as ever to catch up considering I don’t have any patients, the interns have it covered for the time being. Anyway, tell me what’s happened while I’ve been gone.”

     He thinks for a moment, looking at the wall in front of his be while he does. “Hm, Armin moved away for college. I think it was about a year after you and Mikasa left. We drifted apart after you left, so I don’t know if he’s still in school. How’s Mikasa?”

     Mikasa is my sister, but she had always been closer to Eren than to me since they both are a year younger than I am. It surprised me that he didn’t know where she was. “She’s an elementary school teacher now in California. She’s still with Annie as far as I know, in fact, I think they’re engaged.”

     He smiles widely, nodding a bit. “I’m glad she’s doing okay. I was a little upset when she finished high school a year earlier than me and Armin, but it’s fine now.”

     I wait a few seconds before speaking up again. “What about you? What have you been up to?”

     He sighs, looking away. “Nothing, really. I work at that coffee shop around the corner and still live at home.”

     Eren’s parents are rich, which is why I never expected him to be worried about the cost of the surgery, although since they are both such successful people, I’m surprised he wasn’t forced to go to college. Mikasa and I were the complete opposite. Our father left us before I was two, and our mother was always too busy getting drunk and or high to give two shits about us. We had barely enough money to buy decent clothes, our meals (breakfast and lunch) having been provided to us by the school, and over summer we would go to Eren’s house for almost the whole three months.

     I nod a little. “Well, now I know where to go when I need or want to see you.”

     He nods, obviously embarrassed by saying he hasn’t done anything with his life. “You should probably go, I’m not the most important person in the building.”

     I decide it’s best not to argue, standing and leaving.

 

-

 

I’m woken up by Jean shaking me in the on call room, looking panicked and telling me one of my patients is coding. I’m up as soon as I hear that, rushing to the room. I can’t exactly hear anything, trying to keep my cool as I grab the defibulators from one of the nurses. I shout out orders, not even hearing my own voice over the pounding of my heart. It goes on for twenty or so minutes before finally the patient flat lines, everyone going stiff and staying silent. I look to the clock, sighing. “Time of death, two twenty-three.”

     No one moves at first, and I hear two coffee cups dropping to the floor behind me. The patient's father stares in shock, starting to sob as soon as he realizes what has happened. “How can this be? She had just woken up. She was talking to me, I thought she was better!” He becomes incoherent as a nurse leads him into the room, everyone else clearing out to give him some space.

     This is the worse part about my job. The deaths. The people who least deserve it die. She had been battling cancer and had just been considered “cured”. I’m not even sure what went wrong, it could have been because her body couldn’t handle the damage from chemotherapy.

     I stumble my way back to the on call room, finding myself unable to fall asleep and the father’s face haunting me until the sun rises and I need to do my rounds. Eren is first, and I go in alone this time. He must be able to tell that I’m not in a very good mood because he doesn’t make me stick around for any longer than I need to. The rounds go by slowly, but I eventually get over the death and go back to normal.

     Hange waits for me at lunch, waving me over after I get my food. Mike and Erwin are with her, Hange being the head cardiothoracic surgeon, Mike being a plastic surgeon, and Erwin being the head of general surgery. I met them after moving back, but I had known Erwin from freshman year of high school when he was a senior. I remember having a crush on him (probably only because he was a senior and I would have been almost famous amongst my fellow freshmen) and Eren telling me I was an idiot for ever liking him. I now know he was right. He has the reputation of going around with just anyone and then throwing them aside even though everyone expected Mike to be that way.

     Hange smiles at me, pushing out my chair for me with her foot across the table. She’s one of my best friends now, and I honestly don’t know how I would have survived coming here if it weren’t for her. I sit down, silently starting to eat. I don’t have long since Eren’s surgery is about two hours.

     Mike had been talking about some girl that came in wanting a boob job and something about how she kept looking to her boyfriend to make sure he would like it, stopping and looking at me. “You’re eating awful quick.”

     “I have surgery later.”

     “Which patient?” Hanji spoke up.

     “Eren Jaeger.”

     Hange smirked, exchanging glances with Erwin. “Does this happen to be the same Eren you were talking about just a few days after you arrived, and how you were hoping to see him again?”

     I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my water. “Yes, that’s who I’m talking about. You make it sound like our friendship is anything more than that, a friendship.”

     Erwin shrugged, voicing his opinion.”It kind of sounds like that.”

     I stand up, shaking my head. “I’m done, and no, I don’t have a crush on my _friend_ , thank you very much.”

     I hear Hange chuckling to herself as I walk away, dumping my plate before starting to head up to the third floor where the operating rooms are. Hange stops the elevator just before it closes, coming to stand beside me. “We didn’t mean to piss you off.”

     “I know.”

     “Then why did you get so defensive over it?”

     I shrug, not actually knowing. I’ve never liked people teasing me about things like this, most people in my life having assumed Eren and I were a couple with how close we are to each other. “I don’t like being teased, I guess. It’s childish I know.”

     She shrugs, the doors opening to the third floor. “I know you don’t. Have fun with your lover.”

     She gets off the elevator and goes to the right before I have the chance to say anything in retaliation. I get off as well, going to the left and to Eren’s room, seeing nurses in there already beginning to prepare him. He smiles widely, stretching. “I’m actually excited for this.”

     I shake my head, smiling and sitting on the edge of his bed. “Well, I was actually coming in here to tell you everything’s going to be okay and that there isn’t anything to worry about, but I guess that’s not needed.”

     He laughs. “Nope, definitely not.”

     I nod, standing again. “Then I’ll see you in there.”

     He hums a bit in response, picking up his phone again and waving bye to me. I then head off to the operating room.

     I get ready slowly, thinking back to how close we used to be. I wanted to go back to that, kind of missing being around him all the time and being able to ask him or tell him anything. I had Hanji now, but strangely, it just wasn’t the same. I suppose the bond Eren and I had had been much stronger than Hange and I’s which would make since considering Eren and I were friends longer.

     I chose Jean to scrub in on the surgery, thinking he would be the least likely to fuck it all up. He’s already washing his hands when I go in, but he’s visibly nervous. “Your hands can’t be shaking like that if you’re hoping to do anything.”

     He only glances at me, nodding and keeping a blank expression. “Should I just get someone else to do it? Calm down, it’s not as hard as you think. I’ll guide you through it if I do let you do anything.”

     He nods again, but this time mutters a “thank you” before going into the operating room. I start to scrub my hands, seeing Eren through the window. He’s not asleep yet, talking to Jean with a huge smile on his face. I feel a little jealous, having not expected Jean to get that type of reaction out of Eren. I finish scrubbing my hands a bit too roughly, going in and telling Jean to get his act together just before Eren goes under.

     Jean is mostly quiet which I’m grateful for since I work best in near silence, but when we’re almost done, he speaks up. “He’s really cute, you know? Do you know if he’s single? You two are friends, right?”

     His questions take me by surprise, but I keep my cool. “One question at a time, please.”

     Jean sighs. “Is Eren single?”

     I shrug. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him that yourself.”

     Jean definitely doesn’t like my answer, pouting. “He acted like he knew you, so I assumed you know know something this simple.”

     “He does know me, and we are friends. But just because we are doesn’t mean I know everything about his life. Now get out of my OR.”

     Jean tries to argue, but I don’t listen, able to feel the heat rising in my cheeks from anger.

     I don’t see him after the surgery nor do I let him go to Eren’s postoperative checkups, either myself or Historia doing it. I knew it didn’t matter, but something in me doesn’t want to let Eren near him. I suppose it’s because I think he could be another Erwin.

     Eren wakes up a few hours after the operation, and I happen to be in the room checking up on him. He smiles, yawning and stretching. “I lived."

     “Did you doubt me?” I glance at him out of the corner of my eye.

     He shakes his head. “Not really." He looks around the room, humming. "Where's the one that helped you? Is he a doctor, too? He was flirting with me before I went under."

     My body goes rigid, stopping and taking a moment to calm myself. "It's just an intern of mine, Jean. He's not going to be coming in here, though, so you don't have to worry about him screwing anything up."

     “Aw, okay. I was hoping he was interested in me. Guess not.”

     "It's okay, don't think about it too much. He's only been in one surgery since he's been here, yours, but I'm sure he'll do that with all the patients. You know, to comfort them."

     Eren nods a bit, but I can tell he's still dissapointed. "I guess it doesn't matter now."

     I leave the room before long, leaning against the door for a second and thinking. I don't want Jean breaking his heart, that at least I'm certain of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if the medical stuff is accurate or not, I tried to Google it the best I could haha  
> If it's not, I will try to fix it the best I can.


End file.
